How Gen Z
will reinvent
technology
@paminthelab
Change Sciences
Pamela
Pavliscak
(not meant to be spoken)
@paminthelab
change sciences
Kids, tweens, teens
Interviews, diaries, social
listening, public datasets
data
despair
reality
WTF
experiments
hope
Today will be epic
25% of the
population
17 & under
60% of GenZ
wants to
MAKE a difference
But friendship
seems a bit
different
Families are
maybe slightly
different
Hey, the world is
kind of
different
So how is GenZ
Different?
2000
2004
Elementary School
Born
Wikipedia2001
2002
2003
2005
2006
YouTube & Xbox 360
iTunes & iPad
Twitter
Facebook
9/11
Bush Re-elected
Hurricane Katrina
3GWar in Afghanistan
Space Shuttle Disaster
Dot com Bubble Burst Playstation 2Y2K
Pluto Downgraded
2007
2011
App store & Spotify2008
2009
2010
2012
2013
Vine & Tinder
Instagram & Pinterest & Kik
Whisper
Snapchat & Minecraft & Siri
Great Recession
Obama Elected
iPhone & Tumblr
WhatsApp & Venmo
Middle School
Obama Re-electedMayan end of times
Wikileaks
Ebola
Fukishima Disaster
H1N1
2014
Periscope & Meerkat2015
2016Trump Elected
Amazon Echo
Pokemon Go
2017
High SchoolGoogle glass
Flint Water Crisis
Ferguson
25%of their lives
in front of screens
74%are
on mobile devices
47%
in the bathroom
91%
school
84%
watching TV
92%
in bed
83%
walking
75%
driving
phones everywhere
79%show signs of emotional distress
when kept away from their devices
University of Maryland, 2014
Nomophobia, yeah I
think I have that.
Sara, 17
“
OK, whatever
What does this mean
for the
future of technology?
PrivacyIdentityCommunity
CreativityCommunication
Five factors for the future of technology
The future of
community
Youth today have
Fewer hangouts
So They hangout online
Yes even the
Little zs
Instagram Twitter Facebook Snapchat Tumblr
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Zs are truly social media natives
Piper Jaffray
Community is local &
community is global
26%have social
network friends in
other countries
JWT, 2013
Youth are entering grown-up conversations
I love taking pictures
with my little sister,
we got silly and
shared it on snapchat
with my friends.
Aliyah, 16
“
82%would give up
their social media
friends for real friends
flickr @pistigriloxp
In person
yeah, it’s still a thing
Design for authentic
connection
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
Much is made of
DARK SOCIAL
flickr @eflorules
youtube @nigahiga
43% report being cyber-bullied
NCPC, 2014
What I hate about
anonymous is all the
bad behavior. I mean
there is already a lot
of drama.
Anna, 15
“
GenZ doesn’t crave
anonymity, they want to
explore identity
The future of
IDENTITY
It’s not cool to post so
much, I delete posts
that didn’t get a lot
of likes or that just
aren’t me anymore.
Guess,16
“
I hate feeling boxed
in, like the machine
is classifying me.
Zizou, 16
“
Design for an
exponential self
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
The future of
PRIVACY
Early Adopters
of new social
networks & new tech,
like wearables
Phones aren’t
allowed, but watches
are still OK. I can get
texts in class without
being obvious.
Madison, 11
“
70%admit to
hiding online activities
My dad doesn’t like
me watching TV on
my iPad so I hide it
on the last screen.
Eleanor, 6
“
81%use privacy
settings & limit who
can see their posts
flickr @jimmym
Difficulty  of  using  privacy
controls:  hella
User  Experience  Post  #54731
I don’t want random
people knowing all
about me, I use
Instagram Direct or
Snapchat a lot.
Tia, 14
“
Default to privacy
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
The future of
COMMUNICATION
45%are texting
someone in their house
JWT, 2013
Google, 2014
55% of kids do talk to their phone daily
Google, 2014
The only email I ever
get is from my
grandparents or from
my apps.
Lizzy, 10
“
We do homework
together over Skype,
and talk about what
happened that day.
Video chat is like
hanging out.
Christina, 13 and Emma, 14
“
Emojis, Images, video
and yes, sometimes
words
Stay Connected
even when there is
not much to say
CONVEY A MOOD
show rather than
describe
Create a memory
a bond over time
Blend
PHYSICAL+DIGITAL
Experience something together
Design for
meaningful participation
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
The future of
creativity
Zs Still get Bored
but it’s good for
them, right?
Play is about combining
off-screen and on-screen
But now they are
creating on screens
Zs gift their videos
They want to
share their stories
Design rich experience
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
The future of
The interface
The use technology together,
so they learn more quickly
Ages 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
The co-use curve
Even so, Zs interact
idiosyncratically
12%less successful in
accomplishing what they
set out to do
That  moment  when
people  think  that  I  really
know  what  I’m  doing
User  Experience  Post  #36451
even  if  I’m  confused.
They regularly use 5 screens
TV
Mobile Phone
Laptop
Desktop
iPod or music player
Gaming console
Tablet
E-Reader
72%
57%
39%
Age 13-17
Age 8-12
72
72
76
39
50
28
33%
25
36
23
24%
28
38
11
4%4
31%
25
12%
5
13
8 seconds
average attention span
Poor ergonomics
#droppingphone
#phonedroponface
Not enough space
so they delete
(they don’t get cloud storage
& they forgot their password)
They usually have the
worst devices in the house
Practice inclusive design
What does it mean for
the future of technology?
At the mall with
Let’s recap
& got an idea&
to data&
& talked to (Not really) &
&
For
&
with on
If we
Because they are
& sometimes
Its not all & sux
for
(Gen )
&
But they with
with
&
We better for
Don’t be scared
1. AUTHENTIC CONNECTION
2. EXPONENTIAL SELF
3. prIVACY BY DEFAULT
4. Meaningful PARTICIPATION
5. RICH EXPERIENCE
6. INCLUSIVE DESIGN
Gen Z
and the future
of technology
Pamela Pavliscak
@paminthelab
changesciences.com

Pamela Pavliscak – How Generation Z Will Reinvent Technology